


Have You Seen My Cat?

by roe87



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Captain Marvel (2019), Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Cute, Developing Friendships, Dorks, F/F, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff, Goose the cat - Freeform, Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute, Minor Carol Danvers/Jessica Drew, Private Investigators, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 09:30:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18029135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roe87/pseuds/roe87
Summary: "So let me get this straight," Jess said, eyeing the cute blonde standing in her office. "You want to hire me, a private investigator, to help you find your cat?"(AU where Jessica is a PI, Carol's 'lost' her cat in a bid to spend time with Jessica, and Steve and Bucky try to help but things don't go according to plan.)





	Have You Seen My Cat?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DreamweaversDanceofNight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamweaversDanceofNight/gifts).



> Happy early Birthday, Dreamweavers! <33
> 
> ~
> 
> To my regular readers, I hope you'll read this fic, it's my first F/F! Jessica Drew is Spider woman (I used to watch her cartoon on repeats), and her and Carol are BFFs in the comics, one of my fave pairings. I did a [CarolJess moodboard](https://jro616.tumblr.com/post/183149838740/jro616-caroljess-moodboard-edit-for-femslash) too.
> 
> For this fic I had in mind a Friends sitcom theme, and I hope you enjoy the fluff!
> 
> ~

 

 

"So let me get this straight," Jess said, eyeing the cute blonde standing in her office. "You want to hire me, a private investigator, to help you find your cat?"

"That's right," the blonde said, looking anywhere but at Jess. Her body language was open but she seemed tense, like she was anxious.

Maybe she was worried about the missing cat.

Jess paused before replying, and tried to place where she'd met this woman before. "You're Steve's friend, right?"

She nodded, eyes on the floor. "Carol. We met at..."

"His birthday." Jess smiled. "I remember."

Carol looked up briefly, like this news surprised her. Jess waited for Carol to reply, but her eyes slid away again as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Which was pretty much exactly what she'd done at Steve's birthday party when they've been introduced, Jess remembered now.

"So," Jess ventured, "your cat? You know the finding fee will be the same, right? Human or pet."

"That's fine," Carol said. "He does this sometimes, disappears for a few days. I just want to know where he goes."

"I see." Jess had never owned a cat, but this wasn't the first time she'd been hired to track down a missing pet. "Got some recent photos for me?"

"On my phone."

"That's fine. Text them to me." Jess took out a business card and handed it across her desk. "My number's on here."

Carol took the card and began entering it into her phone.

"I have some time this afternoon," Jess said, opening a drawer for the paperwork. "If you fill in this form and transfer the deposit to me now, I can take the case on."

"Okay," Carol said, sounding pleased. "Shall I, um, go with you?"

"Probably a good idea," Jess told her. "I presume we'd start where you last saw the cat anyway."

"Yeah." Carol looked a little guilty. "My place, then. I don't know if he wanders the apartment building or gets outside somehow. There's just no trace of him."

"We'll soon find out." Jess smiled. "What's his name?"

"Chewie," Carol said. "Or Goose. He has a few names."

"What name shall I put on the contract?"

"Goose. He answers to that."

"Okay, then." Jess wrote down the name, then offered the form to Carol. "Let's get started."

 

~

 

Steve's phone beeped, and he read the new message from Carol.

He broke into a grin and looked over at Bucky. "She's actually done it. She's hired Jess to find the ginger menace."

Bucky, on the other side of the couch with Goose currently sitting on his lap, smiled back at him. "Go, Carol."

"Okay, so, if they come here," Steve started, "remember to––"

"I know," Bucky said, tickling under Goose's chin. "I take the cat and go hide in the bedroom. Await further instruction."

"Right." Steve leaned back and put his feet up on the coffee table. "If she does come looking here, I'll say you're taking a nap. It's Friday, naps can happen on Fridays."

"Why would she come here?" Bucky scoffed.

"Gee, I don't know," Steve replied, "probably because Jess is a detective, and it won't take her long to figure out that we live two floors above Carol."

Bucky shrugged. "Ten bucks says she won't."

Steve laughed. "You're on."

 

~

 

Carol wasn't normally so terrible at talking to people.

To women, anyway.

But seemed she _was_ kind of terrible at it when a woman was hot. Or, in Jessica's case, a total knockout. Jessica was stunning and slightly intimidating in a way that reminded Carol of Natasha: cool, femme, and elegant, with a killer fashion sense: all tight clothes, spike heels and a cute leather jacket. Jessica had pristine beach waves in her long, jet black hair, with perfect red lipstick in place on her lips.

And Carol was just a dork in ripped jeans and an old Nine Inch Nails t-shirt. But she _had_ blow dried her hair today, so she was doing better than she was on most days.

All she had to do now was impress Jessica.

Somehow.

Or, maybe Jessica would be won over by her sheer dorky charm? Carol could only hope.

They took Jessica's car and she drove them to Carol's neighborhood, to her apartment building. Jessica asked her questions about Goose, what his habits were and what sort of cat he was, so that was the small talk taken care of.

Goose was a ginger tom, and very independent, but also a cuddly boy when he wanted to be.

Jessica parked, and they entered the apartment building. Carol was only a couple floors up, so they took the stairs.

"So, does he got out a lot?" Jessica asked, as Carol let them into her apartment.

"He's not supposed to," Carol admitted, "but he just seems to find a way."

"Door, window?"

"Um..." Carol glanced over at her living room window, the one that Goose used to get up to Steve and Bucky's place. "Uh, door, I think," she fudged.

Jessica looked over at the window, and raised her eyebrow. "Well, let's check out every lead," she said, sounding amused. She walked over there, high heels clipping lightly over the floor.

Carol really should've had her head in the game, but she was also kind of distracted by Jessica being in her apartment. Carol's secretly romantic mind just ran with it and provided daydreams, scenarios, and full blown make believe of what it'd be like having Jessica as her girlfriend.

Jessica, meanwhile, was checking the window ledge, running a gloved finger over the wood. "Some ginger hairs," she commented, then examined the window. "Can I open this?"

"Uh, sure."

Jessica opened the window and leaned out, and if Carol thought she'd been distracted before, well, now she was even more distracted.

"There's a fire escape," Jessica said, as she gracefully manoeuvred herself out the window to stand on said fire escape.

"Uh," Carol said, moving closer. Oh, shit.

Jessica was busy checking the railings, and just when Carol thought no way that ginger fur-ball would've left clues, surely... Jessica announced, "There's more hair up here."

"There is?" Carol squeaked.

"Yep." Jessica looked back in the window and flashed her a smile. "Wanna see where the trail goes?"

"Okay," Carol found herself saying.

 

~

 

Bucky muted the TV and whispered, "You hear that?"

"Huh?" Steve looked around, but he was hard of hearing and clearly hadn't heard it.

Bucky listened closely, then hissed, "Someone's climbing up the fire escape."

Steve groaned. "If it's those kids again..." He got off the couch and bent down to retrieve the baseball bat from under the couch. Then he hurried over to the window in his sock feet, creeping in from the side so he could peer down.

"Oh," Steve said, as Bucky craned his head to see from the couch. Goose was still sprawled on his lap and wouldn't move.

"Who is it?" Bucky hissed.

Steve looked back at him with an alarmed expression. "It's Jess and Carol!"

"Oh, shit," Bucky said, and made to get up.

Goose still wouldn't budge.

"Shit," Steve muttered, backing away from the window.

"Steve, lose the bat," Bucky instructed, scooping Goose up in his arms and getting to his feet. "Plan B."

Steve nodded. "Plan B."

 

~

 

Jessica followed the telltale trail of cat hair up to Steve and Bucky's apartment, while Carol silently made plans to brush Goose more so he didn't shed as much. Jessica waited for Carol to join her on their balcony, then she pointed out the pawprints on the window ledge, and another couple of ginger hairs.

"Huh," Carol said, as the evidence was plain to see. "Well, what do you know."

"I have a feeling," Jessica said, smiling, "that this is Steve's apartment."

"Oh," Carol said, unsure what the fuck to say. "Maybe? I mean, I haven't been in their window before..."

"First time for everything, right?" Jessica raised her fist and knocked daintily at the window.

A moment later Steve sprang into view, smiling awkwardly as he opened the window.

"Hello!" he greeted. "You know, we also have a front door..."

"Sorry to sneak up on you," Jessica said, sounding not in the least bit sorry, "but we have a situation."

"A situation?" Steve repeated.

"Mm hm. A lost cat." Jessica gestured to Carol, and Carol remembered she had to act the part.

"Yes. Goose," she told Steve, hoping he'd play along. "He's missing again."

"He is?" Steve said, overacting his surprise.

Carol suppressed a wince.

"Yeah," Jessica said, "and there's pawprints outside here, plus ginger hair."

"There is?" Steve looked at where Jessica pointed, staring at it in apparent disbelief. "Huh. So there is."

"Mind if we come in and look for him?" Jessica asked.

"Sure!" Steve said, a little too enthusiastic. "Come on in!" He stood back to allow Jessica to climb in first, and Jess made it look effortless.

Carol followed and almost got her foot caught in the drapes because she was busy panicking about where Goose was.

She shared a look with Steve as Jessica started browsing the living room. Carol raised her eyebrows to ask, _So?_

Steve's eyes flicked to the bedroom, so Carol guessed they'd stashed Goose away in there. She resisted rolling her eyes, and tried to look casual as Jessica turned to both of them.

"So, as there's ginger cat hair on the couch, Steve, I'm guessing that he visits you guys?"

"Oh...?" Steve made a thinking face, and nodded along. "Yeah, sometimes. Haven't seen him today, though."

Jessica smiled, and looked at Carol. "I think we found your cat's secret hideout."

"Yes," Carol gritted out, side eyeing Steve. "Looks like it."

"He hasn't been here today," Steve repeated. "But, hey, Bruce next door was cooking up something earlier, we smelled it. Maybe Goose went over there."

"We?" Jessica said. "So Bucky's here too?"

"Uh..." Steve looked at the closed bedroom door. "Yeah, he's napping."

As if on cue, there was a heavy _clunk_ sound from the bedroom.

"Well, either he's just fallen out of bed," Jessica chuckled, "or he's awake. Mind if we check for the cat? Cats love to sleep on beds."

"Um... but what if Bucky's naked?" Steve said, as Jessica stalked off to the bedroom, with Carol and Steve in hot pursuit.

"Then ask him to put some clothes on," Jessica replied, and knocked on the bedroom door.

Bucky opened the door, his face a picture of calm but as Carol looked him up and down she knew it was obvious that he hadn't been asleep, as he was fully dressed.

Then again, his hair always had a bedhair look to it.

"Hey," Jessica greeted him. "Did we wake you up?"

Bucky blinked back at them, eyes flicking over to Steve and Carol before he quickly affected a yawn.

"Yeah!" he said, and pretended to stretch. "Just woke up."

Carol wanted to facepalm.

"Right..." Jessica sounded dubious. "Anyway, we're looking for Goose."

"The cat?"

"We thought he might be in your bedroom," Jessica said. "You know how cats love beds."

"Well, take a look," Bucky said smugly, standing aside and gesturing at the room. "Sorry about the mess."

"I've seen worse," Jessica assured him, and walked into the bedroom.

Bucky immediately looked at Steve and Carol, raising his eyebrows. Steve shrugged, while Carol frowned back at him.

Clearly, they should've thought this plan through more thoroughly.

Carol peered around Bucky to see into the room. The bed was neat and tidy (another crack in their charade), and while there were a few clothes scattered about the room, there was no sign of any cat.

Jessica got to work looking under the bed and behind a chair while they watched. Steve nudged Bucky and mouthed, _Where?_

Bucky mouthed back, _Relax._

Carol had no idea where they'd stashed her cat, and she was starting to become stressed out for real about where he was. She huffed out a long exhale.

"Uh, Jess, lemme help you look!" Steve offered, striding into the room and searching around with Jessica.

Carol chewed her lip. Then Bucky slid in close and whispered to her, "Really, Danvers? You wore _this_ to impress a lady?"

Carol gave him a flat look in reply, and poked a finger sharply into his ribs, exactly where he was sensitive.

Bucky grunted softly and tried to poke Carol back, so they slapped each other's hands until Steve and Jessica looked around at them.

"Steve, she's beating me up again," Bucky complained.

Steve looked at Carol. "Did he say something bitchy?"

Carol nodded, a smile tugging at her lips as Steve directed his Very Disappointed Look to his boyfriend. "Bucky," he scolded. "Quit it."

"All I said was––"

"Not now," Steve told him. "Why don't you help us look for this cat?" He raised his eyebrows pointedly.

Bucky huffed. "Alright, _fine_." He stomped over to the laundry hamper and opened it up. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

"Can we check your closet?" Jessica asked, striding over to the wall closet.

Bucky shot Carol and Steve a wide eyed look of alarm.

"Uh, let me!" Steve dived in first, grabbing the closet door. "You can check somewhere else?"

"No, I'm good," Jessica said with a shrug. "Everywhere else is clear."

"It's very unlikely he got into the closet," Steve tried, but Jessica turned to Carol.

"It's your dime. I'm just trying to find your cat."

"Um," Carol said, now all eyes were on her. "Well..."

"Our sex toys are in there," Bucky said, hands on his hips. "Loads of freaky stuff."

Jessica raised an eyebrow at him. "Please, Barnes. Also, I've already seen plenty of your shit when we were college room-mates, remember."

"Yes, but," Bucky tried, clearly floundering, "I've gotten freakier since then."

Steve smothered a laugh, which didn't do much to back up Bucky's wild story.

"Can we just open the closet?" Carol pleaded. "If only to get rid of what I'm imagining right now."

Steve laughed at that. "Sure, go ahead."

Jessica opened the closet to reveal clothes, some shoes, and definitely no cat.

Bucky and Steve both went quiet, staring into the closet like it wasn't what they expected.

"No cat," Bucky said flatly, as he and Steve shared a look.

Carol frowned, and went to join Jessica at the closet to search inside it. "Goose," she called. "Are you in here, buddy?"

She moved some fallen down clothes aside, including a frilly French maid's outfit that she definitely wasn't going to ask about right now, and kept searching. Jessica crouched down beside her, helping her move things.

"What's that?" Jessica said, pointing in the corner.

Behind a shoe box, which Carol moved out the way, they spotted a loose floorboard.

"Would he have gotten in there?" Jessica asked.

"Shit," Carol muttered.

She was going to throttle Steve and Bucky.

"Guys," she called out, "there's a hole in your floor."

"A what?" Steve came into the closet, looking to where Carol pointed. "What... since when has that been there?"

"What's there?" Bucky asked, jostling into the closet to join them.

Jessica got into the space and removed the loose floorboard. "There's a space down there, big enough for a cat to get in."

"Oh," Bucky said. "I, uh... I didn't know that."

Jessica got out a small flashlight, and shone it into the gap in the floor. "Can't see anything. But there's plenty of crawl space, he could've gone under the floor, or even next door."

"My cat!" Carol burst out, glaring over her shoulder at Steve and Bucky. "Did you guys put my cat in the closet?"

"Uh, yes?" Bucky said. "But I didn't know there was a hole there!"

"Bucky!" Carol groaned. "You moron!"

"I'm sorry, okay!"

"Hold up," Jessica said, turning off her flashlight and addressing Bucky. "So the cat _was_ here?"

Carol looked at Bucky too, as did Steve. Bucky blinked back at them, then rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. It was me, I'm the cat-napper. He gives good cuddles!"

"I'm gonna pummel you," Carol told him.

"Look, guys," Jessica said calmly, "Let's be rational. If the cat got into the space, he can probably get out again. We can go find something tasty to tempt him with, he'll probably come straight back."

"Or," Steve put in, "he snuck along the space to Bruce's apartment? He cooks smelly things all the time, and he was definitely cooking earlier."

"Let's split up," Carol suggested. "Me and Jessica can go check on any exits, you two stay here and try tempt him out."

"Got it," Steve agreed.

Carol got up and walked out, giving Bucky a good glare as she walked past. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"C'mon, guys," Steve placated. "It's no one's fault. Let's just find Goose."

 

~

 

Carol led the way out into the hall, with Jessica at her side.

"You okay?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah," Carol sighed. "Just worried about my cat."

"Hey, it'll be alright." Jessica put a hand on Carol's shoulder, and smiled reassuringly. "We'll find him. First things first, we'll check for possible routes that the Mission Impossible kitty has taken, see if there's any more loose boards or holes anywhere. Then we can ask Bruce to look inside his place."

Carol smiled back. "Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." Jessica removed her hand. "You're paying for my time, after all."

"Oh," Carol said, as Jessica walked on ahead. "Yeah... right."

 

~

 

"I really thought Carol was gonna punch you," Steve said, as he and Bucky pulled out floorboards in their bedroom.

"Me, too," Bucky said. He had the hammer, and carefully prised loose the next board. "But luckily for me, she's on her best behaviour in front of her crush."

Steve snickered. "When Jess has gone, Carol will probably come back and crush us both. So let's find Goose, quick."

"Don't worry, one whiff of tuna and he'll come running," Bucky said, sounding confident. When they had enough floorboards up, he started rolling up his sleeves. "Steve, go open the tuna."

"Right."

Steve used the electric can opener to open a new tin of tuna, then he put it in a dish and took it through to the bedroom.

Bucky got ready to crawl into the massive hole now in their bedroom floor.

"I sure hope the super doesn't find out about this," Steve muttered, as Bucky lowered himself into the hole.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Bucky inspected the space first. "Ugh, it's dusty. Hand me that tuna."

"Here." Steve passed the dish down, and Bucky took it. He got down on his front and started to wriggle his body under the floorboards in a Commando crawl.

Then he stopped and squealed.

"What? What's wrong?" Steve asked, leaning in.

"There's a fucking spider down here!" Bucky complained.

"Want me to get the vacuum?" Steve offered.

"You can't vacuum up a spider!" Bucky said indignantly.

"Well, not much else will fit in there with you except a vacuum nozzle," Steve pointed out.

Bucky wiggled a bit more, and now only his boots were visible. "Okay, I'm past the spider," he reported.

"Glad to hear it," Steve said, smiling to himself.

Something moved on the edge of his vision, and he glanced round.

Goose was sat on the bed, watching him.

Steve did a double take, then looked down at Bucky's boots. "Um, Buck," he said, reaching down to tap Bucky's shin. "Buck. The cat is here."

"What?" Bucky said. "I can't hear you."

"I said," Steve raised his voice, "the cat is here. On the bed."

Bucky stopped wriggling, and there was a long pause before he groaned under the floorboards.

"Are you fucking kidding me," he complained, then started wriggling again. "I'm coming out."

"Hand me the tuna," Steve said. "At least the cat is safe. I'll call Carol."

 

~

 

Goose sat on the couch, purring happily because he was full of tuna. Carol tickled his head, sitting next to him and just absolutely relieved he was okay.

Jessica sat on the other side of the couch with Goose between them, one leg crossed over the other and sipping on a cup of coffee.

"He's cute," Jessica said, catching Carol's eye and smiling.

Carol smiled back. "Yeah, he is."

"When he's not being a nuisance," Bucky muttered, also sipping on coffee. He'd had to change his clothes because he'd climbed under the floorboards, but there was still dust and cobwebs in his hair.

"I think you should rename your cat Houdini," Steve joked.

"Goose is fine," Carol said.

Jessica checked her watch. "Well, now this is wrapped up, I have other cases to get back to." She set down her mug of coffee. "But this has been nice. Thanks for an interesting case, guys."

Steve and Bucky looked sheepish, but Jessica didn't seem mad. She seemed amused, if anything.

She got up, and Carol followed her to the door.

"Hey, so," Carol started, fumbling her words, "I, uh, just wanted to say thanks. For finding Goose."

"I don't think he was lost," Jessica chuckled, "but I'm happy to help anyway. I'm glad you two were reunited."

Carol nodded, wanting to say more but feeling nervous.

She was sad that her time with Jessica was coming to an end, but she didn't want to take up her time either.

"Hey," Jessica said, "I don't suppose you want to get a coffee sometime? Or dinner?"

Carol looked up in surprise. "Me?"

Jessica grinned. "Yeah. My treat."

"I, um, yes!" Carol nodded, fast. "Yes, that would be great."

"Okay." Jessica's eyes sparkled as she smiled, and she tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm free tomorrow. Early dinner?"

"Yes. Sounds great."

"I'll call you," Jessica said, and turned to go. She paused, then leaned in and kissed Carol on the cheek. "Looking forward to it." She smiled again, then opened the door and left.

Carol was still standing there, blushing furiously, staring at the closed door.

She had a date.

She had a date with Jessica.

Carol grinned happily, and turned around. She saw Steve and Bucky watching her, also smiling.

"Yay, confetti!" Bucky called, waving his hand in a confetti spreading gesture. "At last."

"Good job, Danvers," Steve told her, as she came back to the couch.

"Thanks, guys," she said, and tickled Goose on his ginger head. "And thank you, Goose."

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Alternative titles for this fic: Dude, where's my cat? + Jessica Drew, pet detective!
> 
> (Like, OBVIOUSLY I know it's not a good idea to lie to someone instead of saying "Do you want to go out with me?" but also I just really wanted to write a rom com for this! Also I HC that Jessica was 100% aware of all their shenanigans and just went along with it for fun!)
> 
> ~
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Here is a [rebloggable post for this fic on tumblr](https://jro616.tumblr.com/post/183291345260/have-you-seen-my-cat-roe87-multifandom).
> 
> You can leave me a comment here, or follow me on [tumblr](http://jro616.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/jro616).


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